Women are twice as likely as men to use emoticons in text messages, according to a new study from Rice University.

The symbols, which began as happy and sad smiling faces but have since morphed into dozens of expressions, have become hugely popular in text messages and email.

The new study used smartphone data from men and women over six months and analysed 124,000 text messages.

The participants were given free iPhones to use for the test period but didn't know what researchers were investigating.

The team says the study was unique.

'We believe that our study represents the first naturalistic and longitudinal study that collects real emoticon use from text messages 'in the wild,'' said Philip Kortum, assistant professor of psychology at Rice and one of the study's authors.

Texting has become one of the most popular forms of communication in society worldwide.

This year alone, it is estimated that 8 trillion text messages will be tapped out across the world.

In the Rice study, 100 percent of the participants used emoticons, but they did not use them very often, with only 4 percent of all their sent text messages containing one or more emoticons.

'Texting does not appear to require as much socio-emotional context as other means of nonverbal communications,' Kortum said.

'It could be due to texting's simplicity and briefer communication, which removes some of the pressures that are inherent in other types of non-face-to-face communication, like email or blogs.'

The study also confirms previous research that women are more emotionally expressive in nonverbal communication; however, in this research, the authors found that while women may use emoticons more than men, the men used a larger variety of emoticons to express themselves.

Participants in the Rice study texted a wide variety of emoticons.

Seventy-four different emoticons were used, but the top three emoticons happy, sad and very happy made up 70 percent of the total emoticons sent by the study participants.

Kortum and his co-authors pointed out that their study is a glimpse into the complex nature of real mediated communications.

They said that additional inquiry in real-world settings are needed to understand the complexities of human communications through technology.

Healthcare firm Micro Labs Ltd Thursday unveiled a dextrose drug Hypotab to treat low blood sugar in diabetic patients.

"Hypotab is meant for type two diabetes patients who suddenly face hypoglycaemia (low sugar) in the body and those who take insulin, which makes them prone to develop the symptom," Micro Labs vice-president B.R. Srinath told reporters here at a preview of the drug.

Priced at Rs.7 per strip of four tablets, the carbohydrate drug, to be bought only on prescription by a qualified doctor, will restore normal blood glucose levels in diabetic patients soon after it is consumed.

"Hypotab is the first standardised therapy to treat low blood sugar and manufactured using the advanced technology of AbMax Biotechnology Co Ltd in China, as it offers 20 micron particle size for faster absorption in the body and gives quick relief," said Srinath.

The city-based pharma firm has invested Rs.5.5 crore to set up the drug plant in Puducherry, with an installed capacity of one million tablets per month.

The Rs.1,646-crore company is targeting Rs.4.2 crore revenue in this fiscal (2012-13) from Hypotab, Rs.12 crore in next fiscal (2013-14) and Rs.24 crore in 2014-15, as the market for treating low sugar remains untapped.

According to a company study, of the Rs.3,800-crore diabetic care market across the country, oral hypoglycaemic agents like candies, sugar cubes, honey, etc., account for Rs.2,800 crore.

"Of the estimated 62 million diabetic patients in India, 25 percent of them are prone to suffer low sugar due to various factors, including stress, lack of discipline in maintaining diet, timely intake of food, obesity and lack of exercise," observed noted diabetologist Vijay Viswanathan.

"Our goal is to train the immune system to recognize and attack the cancer," said Dr. Daniela Bota, neuro-oncologist and co-director of UC Irvine's Comprehensive Brain Tumor Program. She will lead the Phase II trial at UC Irvine of DCVax, which was associated with increased survival in a previous study. The vaccine is prepared in a lab and combines protein antigens extracted from the patient's tumor with some of his or her white blood cells. These grow into dendritic cells that, when injected back into the patient, target the protein antigens and prompt the immune system's T cells to identify and attack remaining cancer cells. "Cancer cells are like crabgrass: Once they take root, they're hard to eradicate, even after brain surgery," Bota said. The current treatment for patients with glioblastoma multiforme involves surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible, followed by radiation and chemotherapy. "The standard of care prolongs survival, but it does not fully destroy the cancer," Bota said. She believes the vaccine can help eliminate remaining tumor cells and further extend patients' lives. Only 10 percent of the 12,000 to 14,000 people annually found to have glioblastoma multiforme survive five years. Patients 18 to 70 newly diagnosed with this brain tumor (also called grade IV astrocytoma) may be eligible to enroll in the trial.

The victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy and their families are back on a protest. They claim that the Bhopal Memorial Hospital, specially set up for the victims, is on the verge of closure. The hospital built to take care of the victims of the 1984 gas tragedy is itself in the need of rescue.

In 2010, following a CNN-IBN report, which showed administrative apathy, the union government took over the Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research centre. The victims of the gas leak rejoiced then, but things have got worse since.

Activist Abdul Jabbar said, "When the hospital was taken over, we thought things would change. But things have actually gone from bad to worse. The Indian Council for Medical Research wants to remote control the hospital from Delhi, but there has to be some administration in Bhopal. We demand immediate intervention."

One by one, departments in the hospital are closing - Pulmonary Medicine and Onco-Surgery have shut. MRI and DSA machines aren't working, and there's just one doctor in the Department of Psychiatry, all because doctors have begun leaving.

"The doctors are leaving the hospital because they are not allowed to treat private patients inside the hospital now. Earlier, they made huge money by treating private patients and ever since that was stopped they have started leaving. We demand immediate intervention," Sabina Bi, one of the victims said. Clearly with the change in control, a new set of problems have replaced the earlier ones, and the hospital itself appears to be dying a slow death.

A healthy heart is the key to steer clear of neurodegenerative diseases like dementia and Alzheimer's, experts say.

Analysis of decades of research shows simple things such as helping your heart by eating well and taking regular exercise will delay the onset of memory problems.

Researcher Dr Gustavo Roman says managing vascular disease risk factors will stave off dementia as well as heart attacks and strokes, the Daily Express reported.

Vascular disease is caused by fatty deposits or plaques, which harden the arteries and are also implicated in the development of dementia.

Eating a fruit and vegetable-packed diet, drinking small amounts of alcohol, cutting down on smoking and taking plenty of vitamin B also help, he said.

Dr Roman, of the Nantz National Alzheimer Center in Houston, Texas, said studies also show high blood pressure raises the likelihood that mild cognitive impairment will eventually lead to dementia.

Other work shows high cholesterol is an important risk factor for dementia, including Alzheimer's, and that smoking restricts blood flow to the brain, possibly causing cognitive decline.

Type 2 diabetes sufferers are two or three times more likely be diagnosed with Alzheimer's, in part because of vascular complications.
A healthy lifestyle decreases the risk of dementia in later life, according to Dr Roman.

Although more research is required, controlling cholesterol, blood pressure and weight will cut the risk of dementia, he added.

The study has been published in the journal Alzheimer's Disease and Associated Disorders.